System and method of charging a vehicle using a dynamic power grid, and system and method of managing power consumption in the vehicle

ABSTRACT

A system for charging a vehicle includes a forward model for modeling vehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles, and a charge exchange market which, based on the forward model, facilitates an agreement for transmitting power to a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power grid including a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles. A system of managing power consumption in the vehicle includes, an optimizing unit for optimizing a plurality of parameters to determine a power to be consumed by the vehicle based on a plurality of power source signatures for a plurality of power sources, and an operating mode setting unit for setting an operating mode for powering the vehicle based on the determined power.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method of charging avehicle and a system and method of managing power consumption in avehicle, and more particularly, a system and method of charging avehicle using a dynamic power grid and a system and method of managingpower consumption in a vehicle which optimizes a plurality of parametersbased on a plurality of power source signatures for a plurality of powersources.

2. Description of the Related Art

Charging a Vehicle

Charging an electric vehicle on a power grid conventionally requires atradeoff between the power delivery capacity of the grid and the desiredcharging times of all vehicles charging on the grid.

Batteries in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) must be periodicallyrecharged. Most commonly, these vehicles charge from the power grid (athome or using a street or shop charging station), which is in turngenerated from a variety of domestic resources such as coal,hydroelectricity, nuclear and others. Home power such as roof topphotovoltaic solar cell panels, microhydro or wind may also be used andare promoted because of concerns regarding global warming.

Charging time is limited primarily by the capacity of the gridconnection. A normal household outlet may range from 1.5 kW (in the US,Canada, Japan, and other countries with 110 volt supply) to 3 kW (incountries with 220/240V supply). The main connection to a house might beable to sustain 10 kW, and special wiring can be installed to use this.At this higher power level charging, even a small, 7 kWh (22-45 km)pack, would generally requires a one hour charge.

In 1995, some charging stations charged BEVs in one hour. In November1997, a fast-charge system charged lead-acid batteries in between sixand fifteen minutes. In February 1998, one system could recharge NiMHbatteries in about ten minutes, providing a range of 60 miles to 100miles (100 km to 160 km). In 2005, mobile device battery designs by onemanufacturer were claimed to be able to accept an 80% charge in aslittle as 60 seconds.

Scaling this specific power characteristic up to the same 7 kWh EV packwould result in the need for a peak of 340 kW from some source for those60 seconds. It is not clear that such batteries will work directly inBEVs as heat build-up may make them unsafe.

Today, a conventional battery can be recharged in several minutes,versus hours required for other rechargeable batteries. In particular, acell in this conventional battery can be charged to around 95% chargecapacity in approximately 10 minutes.

The charging power can be connected to the car in two ways using an(electric coupling). The first approach is a direct electricalconnection known as conductive coupling. This might be as simple as amains lead into a weatherproof socket through special high capacitycables with connectors to protect the user from the high voltage.Several standards, such as SAE J1772 and IEC 62196, cohabit.

The second approach is known as inductive charging. A special paddle isinserted into a slot on the car. The paddle is one winding of atransformer, while the other is built into the car. When the paddle isinserted, it completes an electromagnetic circuit which provides powerto the battery pack. In one inductive charging system, one winding isattached to the underside of the car, and the other stays on the floorof the garage.

The major advantage of the inductive approach is that there is nopossibility of electric shock as there are no exposed conductors,although interlocks, special connectors and RCDs (ground faultdetectors) can make conductive coupling nearly as safe. An inductivecharging proponent from one manufacturer contended in 1998 that overallcost differences were minimal, while a conductive charging proponentfrom Ford contended that conductive charging was more cost efficient.

Power Consumption in the Vehicle

A vehicle such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) may derivepower from two or more on-board power storage systems. The first is arechargeable battery that can be charged by: 1) the internal-combustionengine, 2) regenerative braking, as in a traditional hybrid vehicle, or3) connecting a plug to an external electric power grid, a featureunique to PHEV. The second storage system is a traditional fuel tank forthe storage of liquid hydrocarbon fuels used to power theinternal-combustion engine. Because of the PHEV's capacity to storepower from both liquid fuels and the electric power grid, the range ofactual energy sources for powering the vehicle is virtually limitless.These sources include, but are not limited to gasoline, ethanol, coal,nuclear, solar, hydro-electric, and wind.

Thus, the electricity used to recharge the battery can come from manysources, depending on the time of day or location of the vehicle. Forexample, in one region of the country, hydroelectric power may beprevalent. This is a form of “clean” energy. However, in another regionof the country, coal may be used. Thus, the recharging of an electricvehicle may be considered relatively “green” (e.g. low carbon creation)or “not green” (e.g. high carbon creation). This means that the samevehicle might be considered to have low environmental impact or highenvironmental impact.

The impact of each of these power sources on the environment isdifferent, especially with regard to a measure that has grown inimportance due to models which predict a human-origin for global warmingin the coming decades: the amount of fossil carbon emitted. Thus, PHEVimpact varies according to numerous “external” sources

Further, the blend of power consumed by a PHEV from either the on-boardbattery or liquid fuel tank is typically managed by selection of one ofseveral Operating Modes which may include, for example, acharge-depleting mode, a blended mode, a charge-sustaining mode and amixed mode.

The charge-depleting mode allows a fully charged PHEV to operateexclusively (or depending on the vehicle, almost exclusively, exceptduring hard acceleration) on electric power until its battery state ofcharge is depleted to a predetermined level, at which time the vehicle'sinternal combustion engine or fuel cell will be engaged. This period isthe vehicle's all-electric range. This is the only mode that a batteryelectric vehicle can operate in, hence their limited range.

The blended mode is a kind of charge-depleting mode. It is normallyemployed by vehicles which do not have enough electric power to sustainhigh speeds without the help of the internal combustion portion of thepowertrain. A blended control strategy typically increases the distancefrom stored grid electricity vis-a-vis the charge-depleting strategy.

The charge-sustaining mode is used by production hybrid vehicles (HEVs)today, and combines the operation of the vehicle's two power sources insuch a manner that the vehicle is operating as efficiently as possiblewithout allowing the battery state of charge to move outside apredetermined narrow band. Over the course of a trip in a HEV the stateof charge may fluctuate but will have no net change.

The mixed mode describes a trip in which a combination of the abovemodes are utilized. For example, a PHEV conversion may begin a trip with5 miles (8 km) of low speed charge-depleting, then get onto a freewayand operate in blended mode for 20 miles (32 km), using 10 miles (16 km)worth of all-electric range at twice the fuel economy. Finally, thedriver might exit the freeway and drive for another 5 miles (8 km)without the internal combustion engine until the full 20 miles (32 km)of all-electric range are exhausted. At this point the vehicle canrevert back to a charge sustaining mode for another 10 miles (16 km)until the final destination is reached. Such a trip would be considereda mixed mode, as multiple modes are employed in one trip. This contrastswith a charge-depleting trip which would be driven within the limits ofa PHEV's all-electric range. Conversely, the portion of a trip whichextends beyond the all-electric range of a PHEV would be drivenprimarily in charge-sustaining mode, as used by a conventional hybrid.

Thus, considering the power sources for charging electric vehicles, somehave asked whether electric vehicles really are a better environmentalchoice. In a recently published article, the author noted that driving60 miles in a day and charging an electric car in Albany, N.Y. whereelectric energy is relatively clean, would only result in about 18 lb ofcarbon dioxide being emitted over the course of the day, whereas a gaspowered car that gets 30 miles to the gallon would result in 47 lb overthe same 60 miles. However, charging an electric car in Denver, Colo.which is powered by higher levels of coal, would actually emit the samelevels of carbon dioxide as the comparable gas powered car.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing and other problems, disadvantages, anddrawbacks of the aforementioned conventional systems and methods, anexemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to a system andmethod of charging a vehicle and a system and method of managing powerconsumption in a vehicle which are more convenient and efficient thanconventional methods and systems.

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to a system forcharging a vehicle. The system includes a forward model for modelingvehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles, and a charge exchangemarket which, based on the forward model, facilitates an agreement fortransmitting power to a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles via adynamic power grid including a second vehicle of the plurality ofvehicles.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to amethod of charging a vehicle. The method includes providing a forwardmodel for modeling vehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles,and based on the forward model, facilitating an agreement fortransmitting power to a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles via adynamic power grid comprising a second vehicle of the plurality ofvehicles.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to amethod of charging a vehicle. The method includes providing a forwardmodel of vehicle power utilization and charging requirements for aplurality of vehicles, the forward model inputting data for settingparameters internal to the forward model, over a network from theplurality vehicles, using a charge exchange market to facilitate anagreement for transmitting power to a first vehicle of the plurality ofvehicles via a dynamic power grid comprising a second vehicle of theplurality of vehicles, the market comprising data which is stored on aserver which is communicatively coupled to the plurality of vehicles viathe network, and transmitting power to the first vehicle via the dynamicpower grid according to the agreement. The data for setting parametersinternal to the forward model comprises current charge of a vehicle,location of the vehicle, destination of the vehicle, speed of thevehicle, rate of power consumption of the vehicle, desired time ofarrival of the vehicle, maximum desired wait times of the vehicle,weather conditions, and traffic conditions.

The network comprises one of a cellular phone network and the Internet,and the server accesses an external database to determine and storefuture expected weather conditions, future expected traffic conditions,and future expected locations for charging vehicles on a standardelectric power grid, and uses data from the plurality of vehicles anddata from the external database to parameterize a constrainedoptimization within the forward model, the optimization determining anoptimal location for the plurality of vehicles to congregate andexchange power, the optimization minimizing a stop time for theplurality of vehicles, minimizing deviation from a planned route, andminimizing a probability of running out of charge over all expectedvehicle actions until a future expected charging of the plurality ofvehicles from the standard electric power grid.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to aprogrammable storage medium tangibly embodying a program ofmachine-readable instructions executable by a digital processingapparatus to perform a method of charging a vehicle, according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to asystem for managing power consumption in a vehicle. The system includesan optimizing unit for optimizing a plurality of parameters to determinea power to be consumed by the vehicle based on a plurality of powersource signatures for a plurality of power sources, and an operatingmode setting unit for setting an operating mode for powering the vehiclebased on the determined power.

With its unique and novel features, the present invention provides asystem and method of charging a vehicle and a system and method ofmanaging power consumption in a vehicle which are more convenient andefficient than conventional methods and systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be betterunderstood from the following detailed description of the embodiments ofthe invention with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 of charging a vehicle, according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 of charging a vehicle, according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a system 300 for charging a vehicle (e.g.,transmitting power), according to another exemplary aspect of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a system 400 for charging a vehicle, according toanother exemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a system 500 for charging a vehicle, according toanother exemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a forward model 610 according to an exemplary aspectof the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a charge exchange market 720 (e.g., an ad hocmarket), according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a charge exchange market 820 according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a multi-tap bus apparatus 900, according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a system 1000 of managing power consumption in avehicle, according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a method 1100 of managing power consumption in avehicle, according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a typical hardware configuration 1200 that may beused to implement the system and method (e.g., system 100, 300, 400,500, 1000, and method 200, 1100), in accordance with an exemplary aspectof the present invention; and

FIG. 13 illustrates a magnetic data storage diskette 1300 and compactdisc (CD) 1302 that may be used to store instructions for performing theinventive method of the present invention (e.g., method 200, 1100), inaccordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-13 illustrate the exemplaryaspects of the present invention.

Charging a Vehicle

Conventional systems and methods do not exist to facilitate theformation of “Flash Charge Mobs,” in which vehicles congregate toexchange charge. In particular, conventional methods do not facilitateformation of Flash Charge Mobs in which an exchange of charge isoptimally based on a forward model of vehicle power utilization, thecreation of an ad hoc market for buying and selling spare chargingcapacity among vehicles underway, and/or a dynamically configuredmini-grid for delivering charge between vehicles at a particular voltageand capacity (e.g., amp hours) as determined by the marketclearinghouse.

New solutions are needed for at least two reasons. Firstly, it iswell-known that electrical grid capacity must be sized to meet peakdemands. Shifting demand from peak to non-peak hours thus aids both theutility provider specifically, as well as the general populace morebroadly, as electrical grid capacity need not be further expanded tomeet heightened peak demands.

Secondly, market triggers to shift demand are increasingly common, withan example being that many utilities charge higher rates during peakhours than during non-peak hours. Thus, the ability to create dynamicmini-grids between electric vehicles offers vehicle owners anopportunity to arbitrage purchased power, to the benefit of everyone(e.g., buyer, seller, and both standard and mini-grid providers). Forexample, a user may buy power during non-peak hours at some rate (e.g.,5), and sell it at a higher rate (e.g., 7), which is still less thanpeak hour market rates (e.g., 9).

Conventional solutions to the problems of the conventional methods mayrequire the user to plug in to the electric grid. Electric grid chargingis convenient in some locations, such as homes. However, installingelectric grids into some areas, such as large parking structures may beprohibitively expensive. Thus, methods are needed to facilitate chargingin such structures or at any location that may potentially containmultiple electric vehicles for an extended duration.

The exemplary aspects of the claimed invention may provide solutions tothe problems and drawbacks of conventional systems and methods.

An exemplary aspect of the present invention may include a forward modelthat takes data from vehicles and vehicle operators over the network inorder to set parameters internal to the model. These data may include,charge, location, destination, speed, weather and traffic conditions,etc. and uses it to plan charging opportunities and locations in thefuture.

The exemplary aspect of the present invention may also include an ad hocmarket for the exchange of spare charge between vehicles, establishedbefore and/or after the formation of the Flash Charge Mob, and takinginputs from vehicles and their operators.

The exemplary aspect of the present invention may also include a dynamicmini-grid configuration, communicatively coupling the ad hoc marketfacility (distributed among vehicle's onboard computing facilities) orthe remote server of the market clearinghouse to each of the devicesresponsible for delivering charge from the mini-grid to the vehicle,determining if vehicles deliver charge in a parallel batteryconfiguration or series.

Thus, the exemplary aspect of the present invention may include aforward model, an ad hoc market, and a dynamic mini-grid configuration.The features of the exemplary aspect of the present invention mayprovide methods for optimally connecting vehicles together into thedynamic (e.g., temporary) mini-grid, in which the ad hoc market allowsfor vehicles to buy and sell spare charging capacity, and in which adynamically configured set of electric bus components permits transferof charge from one or more vehicles to one or more vehicles at a rangeof voltages and capacities (amp hours) determined by the market.

Referring again to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 forcharging a vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the presentinvention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes a forward model 110for modeling vehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles 190 a,190 b, and a charge exchange market 120 which, based on the forwardmodel 110, facilitates an agreement for transmitting power to a firstvehicle 190 a of the plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power grid 140including a second vehicle 190 b of the plurality of vehicles.

The forward model 110 and the charge exchange market 120 may bewirelessly communicatively coupled to the plurality of vehicles 190 a,190 b. In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the forward model 110and/or the charge exchange market 120 may be stored on a server 160which is wirelessly communicatively coupled to the plurality of vehicles190 a, 190 b. It should be noted that the server 160 may include, forexample, a server apparatus (e.g., hardware implemented) or a servermodule (e.g., software implemented).

Alternatively, any or all of the features and functions of the presentinvention (e.g., features and functions of the forward model 110 and/orthe charge exchange market 120) may be distributed amongst the pluralityof vehicles 190 a, 190 b (e.g., performed by an onboard processor suchas the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU)) which may becommunicatively coupled to each other.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 of charging a vehicle according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, themethod 200 includes providing (210) a forward model for modeling vehiclecharging data for a plurality of vehicles, and based on the forwardmodel, facilitating (220) an agreement for transmitting power to a firstvehicle of the plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power grid includinga second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.

It should be noted that the term “power” may be construed to mean“electric charge”, “electric current” or “electrical energy” which maybe used to recharge an energy storing device (i.e., a device such as asecondary battery which converts stored chemical energy into electricalenergy).

FIG. 3 illustrates a system 300 for charging a vehicle (e.g.,transmitting power), according to another exemplary aspect of thepresent invention. The system 300 includes a forward model 310 formodeling vehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles 390 a-390 d,and a charge exchange market 320 which is associated with the pluralityof vehicles 390 a-390 d (e.g., maintains information on the plurality ofvehicles 390 a-390 d). The market 320 may facilitate an agreement fortransmitting power to a first vehicle 390 a of the plurality of vehiclesvia a dynamic power grid 340 including a second vehicle 390 b of theplurality of vehicles

The system 300 may also include a power transmitting device 330 fortransmitting power to the first vehicle 390 a via the dynamic power grid340 according to the agreement.

It should be noted that the charge exchange market 320 may also beassociated with other vehicles which are not included in the dynamicpower grid 340 in FIG. 3. Further, although the dynamic power grid 340is illustrated in FIG. 3 as including three vehicles, in fact, thedynamic power grid 340 may include one or more vehicles, and althoughFIG. 3 illustrates only one vehicle 390 a to which power is beingtransmitted, in fact, power can be transmitted to a plurality ofvehicles.

Thus, an exemplary aspect of the present invention may facilitate anexchange of power between vehicles 390 a-390 d through the dynamic powergrid 340 (e.g., an ad hoc mini-grid) that can be managed via the chargeexchange market 310 (e.g., via a wireless signal) that may utilize theforward model 310 which may incorporate such considerations as expectedweather and traffic. The market 320 may be established dynamically withthe power grid 340, and may allow vehicles to buy and sell charge basedon parameters (e.g., parameters set by a user or owner of the car).

The dynamics of the market 320 may be published (e.g., via the Internet)to recruit other cars to the power grid 340. Thus, a single vehicle mayreceive a charge from multiple vehicles connected such that voltage andpower delivered is increased and thus charging time decreased.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the system 300 may also include a server 360in which case the forward model 310 and/or the charge exchange market320 may be included in the server 360. In particular, the forward model310 and charge exchange market 320 may be implemented by a processor inthe server, and a memory device (e.g., random access memory (RAM),read-only memory (ROM), etc.) which is accessible by the processor. Someor all of the features and functions of the forward model 310 and/or thecharge exchange market 320 may alternatively be implemented as software(e.g., a program of machine-readable instructions for performing amethod of charging a vehicle) which is executable by the server 360.

As also illustrated in FIG. 3, the power transmitting device 330 andserver 360 may include transceivers 331, 361 (e.g., radio frequencytransmitter/receivers), respectively, which may allow the powertransmitting device 330 and the server 360 to be communicatively coupledvia a communication link (e.g., wireless communication link) L1.

The vehicles 390 a-390 d may also include transceivers 391 a-391 d whichmay allow the vehicles 390 a-390 d and the server 360 to becommunicatively coupled via communication links (e.g., wirelesscommunication links) L2 a-L2 b, respectively. The transceivers 391 a-391d may also be connected to the control devices (e.g., electronic controlunits (ECUs) in the vehicles 390 a-390 d, respectively, and may be usedto input information (e.g., data for participating in the chargeexchange market) to the vehicles 390 a-390 d and output information fromthe vehicles 390 a-390 d.

Although it is not shown (for simplicity), the vehicles 390 a-390 d mayalso be communicatively coupled to each other, and may becommunicatively coupled to the power transmitting device 330 via acommunication link similar to the links L1, L2 a-L2 b.

The vehicles 390 a-390 d may include an electric vehicle which ispowered by a battery such as a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Thevehicles 390 a-390 d may also include a hybrid vehicle (e.g., plug-inhybrid vehicle) which is powered by a battery, but includes a backuppower source (e.g. gasoline-powered engine, hydrogen-powered engine,fuel cell-powered engine, natural gas-powered engine, etc.).

The power transmitting device 330 may include an input port 336 (e.g., aplurality of input ports) for connecting the dynamic power grid (e.g.,the vehicles 390 b-390 d) to the power transmitting device 330, and anoutput port 337 for connecting the vehicle to be charged (e.g., vehicle390 a) to the power transmitting device 330. The power transmittingdevice 330 may operate as a conduit so that the vehicle 320 must beconnected to the power transmitting device 330 concurrently with thedynamic power grid (e.g., the vehicles 340).

The power transmitting device 330 may also include a power storagecapability (e.g., an energy storage device such as a battery) so thatthe dynamic power grid 340 may transmit power to the power transmittingdevice 330 which stores the charge (e.g., in a battery) until a latertime when the vehicle 390 a may connect the power transmitting device330 to receive the stored charge.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system 400 for charging a vehicle (e.g.,transmitting power) according to another exemplary aspect of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the system 400 may include thefeatures and functions of system 300.

However, the system 400 does not necessarily include a server (e.g., theserver 360), but instead, features and functions of the presentinvention which are performed by the server 360 in system 300 may bedistributed to the plurality of vehicles 490 a-490 d. In particular, theplurality of vehicles 490 a-490 d may include a forward model 410 a-410d (respectively) and a charge exchange market 420 a-420 d (respectively)which may include features and functions described above with respect tothe forward model 310 and charge exchange market 320.

In particular, the forward model 410 a-410 d and/or a charge exchangemarket 420 a-420 d may be included in a control device such as theelectronic control unit (ECU) 492 a-492 d located in the plurality ofvehicles 490 a-490 d.

Further, the plurality of vehicles 490 a-490 d may include a transceiver491 a-491 d (e.g., a wireless transmitter/receiver), respectively, whichis connected to the ECUs 492 a-492 d (respectively) for allowing theECUs 492 a-492 d to wirelessly communicate with each other, and thereby,facilitate an agreement for transmitting power via the powertransmitting device 430 from the dynamic power grid 440 (e.g., vehicles490 b-490 d) to the vehicle 490 a.

Further, the power transmitting device 430 may include transceiver 431,(e.g., radio frequency transmitter/receiver) which may allow the vehicle490 a and the power transmitting device 430 to be communicativelycoupled via communication link L3 a (e.g., wireless communication link),and allow the vehicles 490 b-490 d and the power transmitting device 430to be communicatively coupled via communication link L3 b-L3 d(e.g.,wireless communication link) respectively. Although it is not shown forease of understanding, the vehicles 490 a-490 d may also becommunicatively coupled to each other via a communication link similarto the links L3 a-L3 d.

Similar to the power transmitting device 330, the power transmittingdevice 430 may include an input port 436 (e.g., a plurality of inputports) for connecting the dynamic power grid 440 (e.g., the vehicles 390b-390 d) to the power transmitting device 430, and an output port 437for connecting the vehicle 390 a to the power transmitting device 430.

The power transmitting device 430 may operate as a conduit so that thevehicle 490 a must be connected to the power transmitting device 430concurrently with the dynamic power grid (e.g., the vehicles 390 b-390d). Alternatively, the power transmitting device 430 may include a powerstorage capability (e.g., an energy storage device such as a battery) sothat the dynamic power grid 440 may transmit power to the powertransmitting device 430 which stores the charge (e.g., in a battery)until a later time when the vehicle 390 a may connect the powertransmitting device 430 to receive the stored charge.

FIG. 5 illustrates a system 500 for charging a vehicle (e.g.,transmitting power) according to another exemplary aspect of the presentinvention.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the system 500 includes features of both ofthe systems 300 and 400. That is, similar to the system 300, the system500 includes a server 560 which includes a forward model 510 and acharge exchange market 520, and a transceiver 561, and similar to thesystem 400, the vehicles 590 a-590 d in the system 500 include a controldevice 592 a-592 d (e.g., electronic control unit (ECU)) which includesa forward model 510 and a charge exchange market 520.

That is, in the system 500, some features and functions of the forwardmodel 510 and charge exchange market 520 may be included in the server560, whereas other features and functions of the forward model 510 andthe charge exchange market 520 may be included in the control devices(e.g., ECUs 592 a-592 d) of the vehicles 590 a-590 d. In particular,some operations of the present invention (e.g., operations which requiregreater memory or faster processing speed) may be performed in theserver 560, but other operations of the present invention may beperformed in the control devices of the vehicles 590 a-590 d.

Further, the plurality of vehicles 590 a-590 d may include a transceiver591 a-591 d (e.g., a wireless transmitter/receiver), respectively, whichis connected to the ECUs 592 a-592 d for allowing the ECUs 592 a-592 dto wirelessly communicate with each other, and thereby, facilitate anagreement for transmitting power via the power transmitting device 530from the dynamic power grid 540 to the vehicle 590 a.

Further, the power transmitting device 530 may include transceiver 531,(e.g., radio frequency transmitter/receiver) which may allow the vehicle590 a and the power transmitting device 530 to be communicativelycoupled via communication link L4 a (e.g., wireless communication link),and allow the vehicles 590 b-590 d and the power transmitting device 530to be communicatively coupled via communication link L4 b-L4 d (e.g.,wireless communication link). Although it is not shown (for simplicity),the vehicles 590 a-590 d may also be communicatively coupled to eachother via a communication link similar to the links L4 a-L4 d.

The server 560 may also include transceiver 561, (e.g., radio frequencytransmitter/receiver) which may allow the vehicle 420 and the server 560to be communicatively coupled via communication link L5 a (e.g.,wireless communication link), allow the vehicles 590 b-590 d and theserver 560 to be communicatively coupled via communication link L5 b-L5d (e.g., wireless communication link), and allow the power transmittingdevice 530 and the server 560 to be communicatively coupled viacommunication link L6 (e.g., wireless communication link).

Similar to the power transmitting device 330, the power transmittingdevice 530 may include an input port 536 (e.g., a plurality of inputports) for connecting the dynamic power grid 540 (e.g., the vehicles 590b-590 d) to the power transmitting device 530, and an output port 537for connecting the vehicle 590 a to the power transmitting device 530.

Similar to the power transmitting devices 330 and 430, the powertransmitting device 530 may operate as a conduit so that the vehicle 590a must be connected to the power transmitting device 530 concurrentlywith the dynamic power grid (e.g., the vehicles 590 b-590 d). The powertransmitting device 530 may also include a power storage capability(e.g., an energy storage device such as a battery) so that the dynamicpower grid 540 may transmit power to the power transmitting device 530which stores the charge (e.g., in a battery) until a later time when thevehicle 590 a may connect the power transmitting device 530 to receivethe stored charge.

FIG. 6 illustrates a forward model 610 according to an exemplary aspectof the present invention.

The forward model 610 models vehicle charging data for a plurality ofvehicles. The vehicle charging data may include, for example, vehiclepower utilization and charging requirements. The forward model 610 maybe formed as a table which is stored, for example, in a memory devicesuch as a RAM, ROM, etc.

The forward model 610 may include data which is input by the user (e.g.,owner/operator), or to update and/or maintain data, or to change thesettings of the forward model 610. For example, a vehicle may include aninput device (e.g., keypad) which a user may use to input data into theforward model 610. The vehicle may also include a control device (e.g.,ECU) which is wirelessly communicatively coupled to an input device(e.g., graphical user interface (GUI) on a cellular phone) which mayallow the user to wirelessly input data into the forward model 610.

The forward model 610 may be maintained, for example, by an externalfacility (e.g., stored on a server such as server 360 or 560). Thefacility may include the server 360 (e.g., a set of computer servers)which includes a communication device (e.g., wirelessreceiver/transmitter) which is wirelessly communicatively coupled to theplurality of vehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a-390 d) over a dedicatednetwork (e.g., a cellular phone network) or via the Internet (e.g., viaWi-Fi, broadband, wireless, etc.). The server may also include aprocessor which may execute instructions for performing an exemplarymethod of the present invention (e.g., method 200) in order to maintainand update the forward model 610.

The forward model 610 may take data from vehicles and vehicle users(e.g., owner/operators) over the network in order to set parametersinternal to the model. These data may include, but are not limited to(1) Current vehicle charge, (2) Location of vehicle, (3) Destination,(4) Speed, (5) Rate of power consumption, (6) Desired time of arrival,(7) Maximum desired wait times, (8) Current weather conditions, (9)Current traffic conditions. In addition, the server may also bewirelessly communicatively coupled to a database (e.g., other servers)which may allow the server to access the database and collect data fromthe database. Such data may include, for example, 1) map data, 2) Futureexpected weather conditions, 3) Future expected traffic conditions, and(4) Future expected locations for charging vehicles on the standardelectric power grid.

The server may also have a calculating capability in order to estimatevalues (e.g., future traffic conditions) from the data collected. Theserver may also have a learning capability which may allow the server toimprove the accuracy of the values estimated by the server.

The forward model 610 may use the data from multiple vehicles andmultiple other data sources to parameterize a constrained optimizationwithin the forward model 610, in order to determine at various futuretime points, an optimal location for vehicles to congregate and exchangecharge (i.e., future Flash Charge Mob locations). This optimization mayaim to minimize vehicle stop times, deviations from planned routes, andprobability of running out of charge over all expected vehicle actions(e.g., all actions of the plurality of vehicles 390 a-390 d) during theperiod of time between now and the future expected charging of eachvehicle from a standard electric power grid.

FIG. 7 illustrates a charge exchange market 720 (e.g., an ad hoc market)according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 7 illustrates the data which may be stored, maintainedand/or updated by the charge exchange market 720.

The charge exchange market 720 may include a market for the exchange ofspare charge between vehicles. The market 720 may be established beforeand/or after the formation of the Flash Charge Mob. The market 720 maytake inputs from the vehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a-390 d) and theirusers (e.g., owner/operators) regarding (1) The desired price for saleor purchase of spare charge, (2) Desired and required charging times,and (3) Desired and required final charging levels.

For example, a vehicle may include an input device (e.g., keypad) whicha user may use to input data into the market 720, or to update and/ormaintain data, or to change the settings of the market 720. The vehiclemay also include a control device (e.g., ECU) which is wirelesslycommunicatively coupled to an input device (e.g., graphical userinterface (GUI) on a cellular phone) which may allow the user towirelessly input data into the market 720.

The market 720 may be established through an external clearinghouse suchas the remote facility (e.g., server 360) which is responsible formaintaining the forward model (e.g., forward model 610). In this case,the clearinghouse data may be taken as inputs to the constrainedoptimization performed to determine optimal locations for Flash ChargeMobs.

Alternatively (or in addition to the communication between the vehicles390 a-390 d and the server 360), the market 720 may be established bythe vehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a-390 d) through communicativecouplings between vehicles, by using the vehicles' onboard computingfacility (e.g., ECU) and the vehicles' communication device (e.g.,wireless transmitter/receiver). In this case, steps in the creation ofthe market 720 between Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 2 (e.g., vehicle 390 a andvehicle 390 b) may include, for example:

(1) Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 2 are connected (e.g., wirelessly connected)to the server;

(2) Vehicle 1 transmits a message indicating a charge is required;

(3) Vehicle 2 receives the message;

(4) Vehicle 2 communicates to vehicle 1 the amount of electric chargethat Vehicle 2 is willing to give Vehicle 1;

(5) Vehicle 2 communicates to vehicle 1 the duration that vehicle 2 isavailable;

(6) Vehicle 2 and Vehicle 1 negotiate monetary rates for electricallycharging Vehicle 1; and

(7) A secure transaction is performed between vehicle 1 and vehicle 2;

The dynamic power grid (e.g., dynamic power grid 340) may be formed, forexample, following the creation of the Flash Charge Mob and negotiationof prices (e.g., negotiation between the user of vehicle 390 a and theuser of vehicle 390 b) for the purchase and sale of charge (e.g., sparecharge). The dynamic power grid may include a mini-grid for electricpower distribution.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the dynamic power grid may include an “ad hocmini-grid” which is established by using a conductive device (e.g., aportable device) for electrically connecting the vehicle which is to becharged (e.g., vehicle 190 a) to a vehicle in the dynamic power grid(e.g., vehicle 190 b). For example, the vehicles (e.g., vehicles 190 a,190 b) may each include a charging port which may be connected to theelectrical system of the vehicle and may be used to charge the vehicle,or transfer charge from the vehicle, and the conductive device mayinclude an electric cable (e.g., insulated metal wire) which has an endwhich is configured to be connected to the charging port of the vehicles(e.g., vehicles 190 a, 190 b). In particular, the conductive device maybe portably included in, detachably connected to or fixedly connected toat least one of the vehicles (e.g., vehicle 190 a and/or vehicle 190 b).

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, system may include a powertransmitting device (e.g., dedicated charging bus). The powertransmitting device (e.g., power transmitting device 330) may be fixedlyor portably located at a location of the Flash Charge Mob. In this case,the dynamic power grid may be established by electrically connecting thevehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a, 390 b) to the power transmitting device(e.g., connecting the vehicles to each other via the power transmittingdevice).

The users of the vehicles (e.g., owner/operators of the vehicles 390a-390 d) may negotiate a price for the sale and purchase of charge, andalso may negotiate and pay for specific charging times. Thus, a need mayarise to modify the voltage and capacity (amp hours) of the dynamicpower grid (e.g., mini-grid) at the charging nodes of the dynamic powergrid (e.g., at each of the charging nodes). This may be accomplished bycommunicatively coupling the charge exchange market (e.g., an ad hocmarket facility distributed among vehicle's onboard computingfacilities, and/or a market which is maintained in a server) to thedevice (e.g., power transmitting device 330) responsible for deliveringcharge from the dynamic power grid to the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 a).

In particular, the power transmitting device may include an input devicewhich allows a user to input various parameters such as desired chargingtime. Based on those input parameters, the power transmitting device mayconfigure (e.g., automatically configure) itself to deliver charge tothe vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 a) from the vehicles in the dynamic powergrid (e.g., vehicles 390 b-390 d) so that the battery configuration ofthe vehicles in the dynamic power grid are in parallel or in series.

For example, the power transmitting device may connect the batteries ofthe vehicles in the dynamic power grid (e.g., vehicles 390 b-390 d) inseries, in which case the power transmitting device increases thevoltage delivered, while maintaining the same capacity rating (amphours). Alternatively, the power transmitting device may connect thebatteries of the vehicles in the dynamic power grid in parallel, inwhich case the device increases the capacity (amp hours) of the batterywhile maintaining the voltage. This allows the charge exchange market(e.g., the ad hoc market or clearinghouse facility) to control the powertransmitting device to be configured so as to deliver charge at aparticular voltage and charging capacity, as negotiated in themarketplace.

The exemplary aspects of the present invention may provide numerousadvantages over conventional systems and methods. In particular, theexemplary aspects of the present invention may 1) not require powerinfrastructure installation; 2) assist in the social transition to greenvehicles (e.g. electric cars), which may otherwise not occur due to theforecasted paucity of electrical recharging stations over the nextdecade; 3) facilitate the adoption of a fluid economic system withrespect to the buying and selling of electrical charge via aninformation-processing system; 4) allow users to reach destinations, andthus improves quality of lives, in scenarios that would not otherwise beworkable due to travel distances involved and lack of traditionalcharging stations; and 5) provide a mechanism for securely managing thetransactions in a current environment of uncertainty, thus allowing themanagement or risk and business integrity.

The vehicles may include communication devices (e.g., transceivers 391a-391 d) which may allow the vehicles 390 a-390 d to be communicativelycoupled to each other, and/or to the server 360, and/or to the powertransmitting device 330. These features may allow a vehicle (e.g.,vehicles 390 b-390 d) to wirelessly transmit a signal indicating thatthe vehicle is available to provide a charge to another vehicle (e.g.,vehicle 390 a). Thus, for example, the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 a) maynotify another vehicle and/or a central facility such as the chargeexchange market which is located on a remote server (e.g., chargeexchange market 320) that the vehicle is available for participation ina Flash Charge Mob.

The vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 a) may use the transceiver (e.g.,transceiver 391 a), in order to wirelessly transmit a signal to theother vehicle (e.g., vehicles 390 b-390 d) in order to establish acommunication interface with the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 b-390 d)and/or the server 330 (e.g., a central facility). Communication betweenthe vehicles may be facilitated through many mediums. In particular, amessage may be transmitted using a known messaging technology such asIBM WebSphere Message Broker.

FIG. 8 illustrates a charge exchange market 820 according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 8, thecharge exchange market 820 is communicatively coupled to the forwardmodel and the communication device (e.g., for communicating withvehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a-390 d), the power transmitting device, anetwork such as the Internet, a wireless cellular network, etc.).

The charge exchange market 820 may be implemented by a processor and amemory which is accessible by the processor (e.g., a microprocessorwhich accesses a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),etc.). Some or all of the features and functions of the charge exchangemarket 320 may alternatively be implemented as software (e.g., a programof machine-readable instructions for performing the features andfunctions of the charge exchange market) which is executable by aprocessing device (e.g., a computer, server, cellular telephone, avehicle's electronic control unit, etc.).

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the charge exchange market 820 may include adetermination module 821, a charge share module 822, a charge timemodule 823, a charge cost module 824, a remuneration/negotiation module825, a mediation component 826, and a transaction management module 287.

The determination module 821 may perform an analysis (e.g., a best fitanalysis) for matching a vehicle (e.g., vehicles 390 b-390 d) which mayact as a charge provider to the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390 a) which isseeking electric charges. The determination module 821 may alsodetermine an optimal location for a Flash Charge Mob. The determinationmodule 821 may also include a sub-module (e.g., a plurality ofsub-modules) having an output which is used by the determination module821 to find the best fit for charge provider vehicle (e.g., vehicle 390b) and charge seeker (e.g., vehicle 390 a).

The charge share module 822 may provide a mechanism for controlling theamount of electric charge that the charge provider vehicle (e.g.,vehicle 390 b) is willing to transfer to the charge seeker (e.g.,vehicle 390 a). The amount of electric charge that the charge providervehicle is willing to give the charge seeker vehicle may be determinedbased on a plurality of factors. These factors may include, for example,any of 1) a user established threshold (e.g., 60%), 2) charge on thecharge provider vehicle and the charge seeker vehicle, 3) the prevailinggrid electric rates, 4) the amount that the user (e.g., owner/operator)of the charge seeker vehicle is willing to pay for a charge, 5) the timeof day, etc

The charge time module 823 is may indicate the duration that the chargeprovider vehicle is available to charge the charge seeker vehicle. Forexample, if the charge provider vehicle will not be connected to thepower transmitting device long enough to provide the charge required bythe charge seeker vehicle, then the charge exchange market may proposethat another charge provider vehicle be used to provide transfer acharge to the charge seeker vehicle.

The charge cost module 824 may maintain a desired price for purchasingand selling charge for the vehicles (e.g., vehicles 390 a-390 d).Individuals may wish to share electrical charge for remuneration becausedoing so may be profitable for individual sharing a charge. It is commonfor electric utility providers to charge different prices based on timeof day. For example, an electric utility provider may charge 10 centsper kilowatt hour during the day and 5 cents at night.

Therefore, a user who is interested in selling charge to another vehiclemay be able to sell that charge to the other vehicle at 7 cents perkilowatt hour during the day and recharge his vehicle during the nighttime for 5 cents per kilowatt hour, and thus, have a profit of 2 centsper kilowatt hour.

The Remuneration/Negotiation module 825 may include a mechanism forallowing the charge provider vehicle and the charge seeker vehicle tonegotiate monetary rates for electrically charging the charge seekervehicle. For example, the indication, connection, and/or negotiation maybe performed automatically through electronic means involving amediation component, or may be performed through an Internet connection,or may be performed through wireless connections such as a 3G network,or may be performed “Manually” via a web page on the world wide web(e.g., the Internet) that allows users to buy and sell charge.

The mediation component 826 may include a network accessible componentthat assists in matching charging providers with their charging needs.The mediation component 826 may also assist in determining an acceptableprice for a transfer of electric charge. Embodiments may vary, but oneparticular embodiment includes a web service running on an IBMWebSphere® Application Server.

An embodiment of the mediation component 826 may include configurableparameters for charge parameters. For example, a company employee mayhave a rate that is lower for another company employee with an efficientcar but higher for a stranger with a less efficient car.

The medication component 826 may also include data from multiple parkinglots at different geographical locations and route and locationinformation provided by prospective buyers and sellers, and themediation occurs prior to vehicle selection of and arrival at a parkinglot. In this way, markets can grow geographically and allow chargeseekers (e.g., charge buyers) and charge providers (e.g., chargesellers) to plan routes and rest stops according to market conditions.

The transaction management module 827 may provide a mechanism forsecurely managing a transaction between a charge provider vehicle and acharge seeker vehicle. The secure management may include any of, but isnot limited to: password protection, badge protection, Internet-basedsecurity measures, use of vehicle existing security measures (e.g.involving the vehicle key), etc.

A third party may have access to transaction information generatedand/or stored by the transaction management module 827, so that thethird party may be able to offer incentives to certain transactions overothers. For example, a power company subsidizing certain transactions inorder to manage load on existing power grid, may be given access to suchtransaction information as a third party.

The third party also may have access to buyer and seller information, sothat the third party is able to offer incentives to previous chargeseekers (e.g., buyers) and charge providers (e.g., sellers) to joincertain markets at certain times. This may allow power companies toestablish subcontractor relationships with certain charge carryingvehicles in order to position charge at the appropriate locations at theappropriate times.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the charge exchange market 820 may include amemory device 828 and a processor 829. The memory device 828 may store,maintain and/or update data such as the data illustrated in the chargeexchange market 720. The memory device 828 may be accessible by theprocessor 829 (e.g., a microprocessor which accesses a random accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), etc.). The charge exchange market820 may also include a communication device 850 (e.g., transceiver)which may communicatively couple the charge exchange market 820 tovehicles, power transmitting devices, servers, other charge exchangemarkets, etc.

In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, the system (e.g.,system 100, 300, 400, 500) may include a vehicle key which is equippedwith a cryptography key that can be used to encrypt communication anduniquely identify the key among the plurality of keys produced. When theuser (e.g., owner/operator) of the vehicle is seeking a charge, the usermay insert the key into a power transmitting device (e.g., a multi-tapbus apparatus), so that the key may be read by the power transmittingdevice and the user information is transmitted by the power transmittingdevice to a third party billing source.

The billing source may receive the user information and (in response)transfer funds from the charge seeker to the charge provider. Thebilling source may also guarantee the payments and transfers between thecharge seekers and the charge providers in exchange for a percentage ofthe transaction.

The system according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention mayalso include other transaction management features which include but arenot limited to 1) direct face to face payment for charge transfer, 2)double-blind service provider billing and monetary transfer, 3) pointsystem in which vendors encourage free donating charges and providesservices in return such as roadside assistance, discounts to donors, 4)reputation-based point system in which donations increases a userspoints and taking charge decreases points (e.g., those with more pointsand in need of charge may be offered charge before other individualswith lower points).

Electric charge may be transferred from the charge provider vehicle tothe charge seeker vehicle by a power transfer mechanism. As noted above,the power transfer mechanism may include a conductive device such as anelectric cable (e.g., insulated metal wire) which has an end which isconfigured to be connected to the charging port of the charge providervehicle and the charge seeker vehicle. Alternatively, the power transfermechanism may include a power transmitting device, such as a dedicatedcharging bus (e.g., a multi-tap bus). The power transfer mechanism mayalso include some combination of a conductive device and powertransmitting device.

Thus, for example, the power transfer mechanism may include any or allof an electrical-bus system present on all the vehicles that are theninterconnected for all vehicles wishing to participate, anelectrical-bus system in the parking lot that permits more than onevehicle to access the bus, a portable connector carried in the vehicle,a connector that is attached to the vehicle, etc.

The power transfer mechanism may also involve use of an adaptor providedby at least one of the charge provider vehicle and the charge seekervehicle. The adaptor may be specifically designed to allow the creationof an ad hoc electrical-bus system between the charge provider vehicleand the charge seeker vehicle.

FIG. 9 illustrates a multi-tap bus apparatus 900, according to anexemplary aspect of the present invention. The multi-tap bus apparatus900 may serve as the power transfer mechanism in an exemplary aspect ofthe present invention.

The multi-tap bus apparatus 900 may function in a manner which issimilar to a network router. The multi-tap bus apparatus 900 may alsoinclude a capability of regulating and conducting electricity throughmultiple paths for the purpose of transferring electric charge betweenvehicles. The multi-tap bus apparatus 900 may be part of the vehicle(e.g., fixedly attached to the vehicle, detachable from the vehicle,integrally formed with the vehicle, etc.) or may be stationary andinstalled, for example, in a parking lot or parking structure.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the multi-tap bus apparatus 900 x may includean insulated electric cable 901 for connecting the apparatus 900 to acharge provider vehicle 990 a. The apparatus 900 may also include acable 902 for connecting the apparatus 900 to another multi-tapapparatus 900 y. Alternatively, the cable 902 may be used to connect theapparatus to the charge seeker vehicle 990 b. The apparatus 900 x mayalso include a port 903 (e.g., a plurality of ports) for insertingcables in order to transfer charge via the apparatus 900 x.

Thus, although FIG. 9 illustrates vehicles 900 a, 900 b being connectedvia the multi-tap bus apparatus 900 x, 900 y which are attached tovehicles 900 x, 900 y, respectively, the multi-tap bus apparatus 900 xmay be used to electrically connect the vehicle 900 a directly to one ormore vehicles.

The multi-tap bus apparatus 900 may also include a communication device904 such as a wireless communication device (e.g., transceiver). Thecommunication device 904 may provide for a communicative coupling (e.g.,via IBM WebSphere Message Broker) to a charge exchange market in aserver (e.g., an external clearinghouse) and/or in the vehicles (e.g.,an ad hoc market) in order to configure the apparatus 900 to facilitateeither series or parallel coupling between charging batteries in orderto deliver the negotiated voltage and charge capacity to the purchasingvehicle.

Managing Power Consumption

FIG. 10 illustrates a system 1000 for managing power consumption in avehicle, according to another exemplary aspect of the present invention.As illustrated in FIG. 10, the system 1000 includes an optimizing unit1010 for optimizing a plurality of parameters (e.g., an environmentalimpact of a power source, a range of the vehicle, a speed of thevehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, and a life of a battery in thevehicle) to determine a power to be consumed by the vehicle 190 based ona plurality of power source signatures for a plurality of power sources,and an operating mode setting unit 1020 for setting an operating modefor powering the vehicle based on the determined power.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method 1100 of managing power consumption in avehicle, according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 11, the method 1100 includes optimizing (1110) aplurality of parameters to determine a power to be consumed by thevehicle based on a plurality of power source signatures for a pluralityof power sources, and setting (1120) an operating mode for powering thevehicle based on the determined power.

Referring again to FIG. 10, the system 1000 may be included, forexample, in the vehicle (e.g., in the electronic control unit of thevehicle). Alternatively, some or all of the features and functions ofthe system 1000 may be located outside of the vehicle 190 (e.g., in ahandheld device such as a cellular telephone of the user (e.g.,owner/operator) of the vehicle).

The optimizing unit 1010 may include a modeling unit for dynamicmodeling of expected power consumption for the vehicle, expectedcharging locations, and the plurality of power source signatures, basedon a route planner that includes elevation information and a database ofcharging locations and refueling stations.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the system 1000 may also include a powersource signature database 1030. The database 1030 may be locatedremotely from the vehicle and stores the plurality of power sourcesignatures. The optimizing unit 1110 may include a wirelesscommunication device for wirelessly communicating with the database.

The system 1000 may also include a fueling/charging unit for one offueling and charging the vehicle from the plurality of power sources.The system 1000 may also include a power source signature generatingunit for generating the plurality of power source signatures, the powersource signature generating unit comprising one of a provider of theplurality of power sources, a governmental body, a third partynon-governmental organization. The system 1000 may also include awireless communication device for wirelessly coupling the vehicle withan other vehicle to determine if an exchange of power source signaturesbetween the vehicle and the other vehicle would increase a netoptimization for the vehicle and the other vehicle.

Electricity for charging a vehicle (e.g., a battery in an electricvehicle such as a PHEV) may come from many different sources.

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed to a system(and method) by which a vehicle (e.g., a PHEV) may manage (e.g.,automatically manage) its power consumption in order to affect (e.g., toreduce or to minimize) environmental impact. In particular, the methodmay manage power consumption based on a database of signatures for eachpower source used to charge the vehicle's electric battery, and/orliquid fuel (e.g., gasoline). The method according to an exemplaryaspect of the present invention (e.g., an optimization method) may bebased on a model of expected fuel consumption, future fuel sourceavailability, and/or a system for “swapping” power source signatureswith other hybrid-electric vehicles over a network.

The determination and selection of an optimal operating mode for avehicle is currently performed based on the expected fuel consumption(based on acceleration and speed) and desired operational range of thevehicle, as noted in the above description of operating modes.Additional parameters could include projected route, and changes inelevation during driving. The problem of optimizing the mode ofoperation based on minimizing environmental impact is significant,especially given the wide variety of power sources a vehicle canutilize.

In addition, the optimal mode of power utilization depends not only onthe current use profile of the automobile and expected use based onroute and range specifications, but also on the expected futureavailability of specific power sources (e.g., “green” sources such assolar and wind vs. “non-green” sources such as coal and gasoline). Giventhat different vehicles can at any given moment have stored in thempower from different sources, the exchange of power between vehicles canmake this optimization easier or more difficult depending on theconstraints imposed by these power storage profiles for differentvehicles. Each of these factors makes minimizing environmental impact adifficult problem, requiring a complex optimization across a variety ofknown and estimated variables.

Compared to conventional methods and systems, the system 1000 accordingto an exemplary aspect of the present invention may have the advantageof maintaining a dynamic database of power source signatures which isthen used to perform an ongoing optimization aimed at minimizingenvironmental impact and by determining which mode of power sourceutilization a vehicle should employ at any given moment. Becausetraditional hybrids derive all of their power from gasoline (or agasoline/ethanol mixture), there is no need for such an optimization intraditional hybrid operation.

Furthermore, in setting modes for a vehicle, conventional methods andsystems only consider power utilization and desired range andspeed/acceleration parameters. The system 1000 according to an exemplaryaspects of the present invention, on the other hand, may include asystem and method for taking these parameters into account and (e.g., atthe same time) optimizing for low environmental impact. Further, thesystem 1000 and method 1100 may includes a novel manner of optimizingenvironmental impact across a pool of vehicles by allowing the vehiclesto exchange power signatures for charge in their batteries through aremote clearinghouse.

In particular, the system 1000 and method 1100 may utilize a database(e.g., Power source signature database 1030) that stores the powersource signatures from all charging and refueling events within avehicle. These events may derive power from a single source (for examplefrom an electric grid deriving 100% of its power from coal burning powerplants) or from multiple sources (for example, from an electric powergrid deriving 50% of its power from hydro-electric, and 50% of its powerfrom wind generated electricity).

The signatures denote what type of power was stored in the vehicle andthe database associated the amount of that power that has been consumedby the optimizing unit 1010. The optimizing unit 1020 may determine whatpower the vehicle 1090 consumes at any given moment by performing anoptimization over several parameters, including environmental impact,range of vehicle, speed, acceleration, and battery life.

Further, the system 1000 may include a plurality of optimizing units1010 (e.g., in a plurality of vehicles, respectively) which cannegotiate in real time through wireless communication networks anddetermine if an exchange of power source signatures between the vehicleswould help achieve a better net optimization for the vehicles than whatcould be attained by maintaining power source signatures for each of thevehicles in their original state.

The system 1000 may provide multiple advantages over conventionalsystems and methods, including but not limited to 1) optimizing a modeof power consumption in a vehicle over several parameters includingenvironmental impact; 2) enabling dynamic modeling of a vehicle'sexpected power consumption, charging locations, and power sourcesignatures based on a route planner that includes elevation information,and a detailed database of charging location and refueling stations, and3) permitting vehicles to exchange power signatures wirelessly and foroptimization to thereby take place collaboratively, across multiplevehicles, such that the net optimization is improved.

It should be noted that the power source signatures may be generated bypower source providers (e.g., electrical utilities or petrochemicalcompanies), through governmental bodies, or through third partynon-governmental organizations. The signatures may then either be storedat the point of generation to be queried by vehicles, or downloaded andstored locally on the vehicle. Further, associated calculations whichwill drive power source decisions may be accomplished entirely on thevehicle, or in some embodiments may be accomplished at a remote source,with the resultant heuristics subsequently downloaded to individualvehicles.

A method according to exemplary aspect of the present invention mayinclude, for example, 1) acquiring information on power sourcesassociated with charging stations (wind, coal, etc.) as a function oftime; 2) (optional) acquiring information on blend of liquid fuel in thegas tank (gasoline, ethanol, diesel, etc.), 3) modifying (e.g., by thevehicle) quantity of power or charge in the vehicle's battery associatedwith each source, 4) acquiring route information; 5) creating arecharging plan (e.g. based on expected points of charging and expectedpower source signatures derived from each charging location); 6)optimizing parameters to minimize environmental impact or/and attain aparticular range of travel; and 7) (optional) sending a signal tocarbon-offset provider.

The optimizing unit 1010 may include a plurality of components includinga source signature component, a charging station source component, a cardatabase component, a route planning component, a recharging planningcomponent, an optimization component, an automatic fuel source selectioncomponent, and an accessory modification component.

The source signature component may include a set of power sourcesignatures collected from charging stations to identify the ultimatesource of electric power used to charge the vehicle battery (wind,solar, coal, etc.), as well as the blend of liquid fuel in the gas tank(gasoline, ethanol, diesel, etc.). This data may be stored in arelational database, such as IBM DB2. This information may be accessibleby other components in the system 1000 to assist various decision makingalgorithms.

In the charging station source component, the owner of the chargingstation may provide information describing the origin of power atspecific times of day. This information may be derived directly from thepower company via dedicated communication links, or stored by the buyerof the power (e.g., the owner of the charging station) in a databasethat is queried whenever a charge is requested. The database may bestored (e.g., reside on a disk or flash drive) in the charging station,or other locations as mentioned above. Information from this databasemay be transmitted to the database in the user's car. The transferredinformation may be stored in a relational database, such as IBM DB2.

The car database component stores the power source signatures andmodifies the quantity of power or charge in the vehicle batteryassociated with each source. The originating sources of electric powerare also used and stored when N cars are exchanging electrical powerwith N other cars. It should be noted that the car database componentmay be implemented by a relational database, such as IBM DB2.

The route-planning component may be located, for example, in the vehicle(e.g., vehicle 1090), and may include data such as elevation, distance,and speed estimates at various points along the route. The routeplanning component may be used to plan the route of the vehicle for oneor more trips. This component may be part of the vehicle's navigationsystem (e.g., GPS based navigation system) or may be a separate system.

For example, the user (e.g., owner/operator) of the vehicle may specifya desired destination, or a sequence of destinations. The system 1000then takes the present location as the starting point and plans itsroutes based on the destinations entered. In other embodiments, theroutes may be planned with the a web based tool and transmitted to thevehicle using known technology.

The recharging planning component may include expected points ofcharging, and the expected power source signatures derived from eachcharging location, as determined by a remotely accessed databasecharging stations and their associated power source signatures. Therecharge points may be selected based on the route entered in the routeplanning component.

The optimization component of the optimizing unit 1010 may take intoaccount route information, current and expected speed and acceleration,current charge and tank level, and expected future recharging/refillinglocations and parameters in order to accomplish one or more of thefollowing: (1) Minimize environmental impact (2) Attain a particularrange of travel (3) Maintain a particular speed and acceleration withinsome parameters (e.g. the driver prefers to drive at 50 mph, and thesystem infers from past driving habits, or the driver enters thisinformation) (4) Maintain the battery in a particular state (either at aparticular level of charge or at a particular rate of discharge)

The automatic fuel source selection component may make suggestions tothe user as to how to minimize his environmental impact. In some cases,it may be preferable for the driver to use gasoline only, because, forexample, an electric charge would be coming from coal. Alternatively,the car may automatically be placed into gasoline-only use in suchscenarios.

The accessory modification component may be used to assist the routeplanning component in instances where unexpected changes occur to theroute. This component may automatically adjust a vehicle's accessoriesto assist a vehicle in getting to the next routed recharging point.

For example, a driver may take a detour from their charted route, andthe detour at the current rate of energy expenditure would prevent themfrom reaching the optimal charging station selected by the routecomponent. However, the accessory modification component may detect thisand automatically or via suggestion to the user modifies the variousaccessories in the car to lower the energy expenditure to assist theuser in making it to the optimal recharge point. Accessory modificationmay include, but is not limited to: reducing the fan speed of for theclimate control, raising the climate control temperature, temporarilyturning off the climate control, turning off the radio, lowering theinterior lights, etc.

The optimizing unit 1010 may also include a communication device forcommunicatively coupling the system 1000 with a carbon-offsetfunctionality so that the user, charging station owner, or third-partymay provide carbon-offsets to offset the power consumption use (andenvironmental impact) of a vehicle. It should be noted that all vehicleuse consumes energy which, depending on energy source, may increasegreenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offsetting provides methods to mitigatecurrent or future greenhouse gas emissions through a plurality ofmethods.

Companies and organizations exist which specialize in carbon offsetting.Such companies and organizations often initiate carbon offsettingoperations after people make individual contributions or companies signcontracts to pay for offsetting operations. However, neither of thesemethods calculates the carbon offset required based on a considerationof a blend of sources used to power a vehicle.

However, the optimizing unit 1010 may include a carbon offset unit(e.g., carbon offset function) that may be used to calculate the offsetfor specified blend of sources used to power a vehicle. This may enableaccurate carbon offsets for vehicles (e.g., PHEVs).

The carbon offset unit may calculate a level of carbon offsetting to berequested from a commercial offset provider for vehicle usage.Additionally, the carbon offset unit may enable a vehicle user tomanually participate in carbon-offset computing during vehicleoperations. The carbon offset unit may derive offsets that are relatedto vehicle blend of resource consumption. Such a system may assist inhelping users and corporations offset their carbon use or, in somecases, persuade users to favor vehicle use that consume less resources,resulting in a smaller global environmental impact from driving. Thecarbon offset unit may be implemented by a function that monitors anumber of inputs, calculates the carbon offset required to mitigatecarbon consumption based on those inputs and transmits this data to acarbon offset provider or bureau.

The carbon offset unit may include a plurality of inputs. For example,for each vehicle blend, a user may specify a percentage of carbonoffsetting to apply for each vehicle use. This may enable a user (e.g.,owner/operator) to control what percent they mitigate their vehiclecarbon consumption. Other embodiments may enable a user to cap theirtotal offset remuneration by hour, day, week, month, or year. The actualoffset may be implemented by a commercial carbon offset provider (e.g.,a company that plants trees for carbon sequestration or companies thatmake technological investments intended to reduce emissions).

The carbon offset unit may also determine the carbon offset by who isdriving the vehicle. For example, three (3) individuals may be using thevehicle, or the vehicle may be a rental vehicle. One company orindividual, who is interested in environmental stewardship, may requestgreater carbon offset than another company or individual. A unit mayautomatically increment its carbon offset micropayment value from asignal sent by the transportation device.

For example, most motor vehicles have an internal communications busfrom which all operating parameters of the vehicle may be derivedincluding mileage data and fuel tank level. The internal bus may be aCar Area Network (CAN) or the Society of Automotive Engineers SAE J1850bus. Further, the updating of the carbon offset micropayment value maybe done periodically (e.g. every 10 miles) or at certain points (e.g.when the vehicle is at a charging station)

For example, a driver of a vehicle (e.g., a PHEV) is charging thevehicle in city “A” from midnight to 6 AM, a time in which wind powerand hydroelectric power is used. The driver's home is equipped with acharging station. The driver starts a trip and anticipates a rechargingof a four (4) hour duration in city “B” that burns coal to charge hisvehicle. In city B, the driver will be using a public charging stationowned by owner O. The optimizing unit 1010 may take this informationinto account so as to appropriately perform carbon-offsets, provideinformation on ranges of travel, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 12, system 1200 illustrates a typical hardwareconfiguration which may be used for implementing the system (e.g.,systems 100, 300, 400, 500, 1000) and method (e.g., method 200, 1100)according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention.

The hardware configuration has preferably at least one processor orcentral processing unit (CPU) 1210. The CPUs 1210 are interconnected viaa system bus 1212 to a random access memory (RAM) 1214, read-only memory(ROM) 1216, input/output (I/O) adapter 1218 (for connecting peripheraldevices such as disk units 1221 and tape drives 1240 to the bus 1212),user interface adapter 1222 (for connecting a keyboard 1224, mouse 1228,speaker 1228, microphone 1232, pointing stick 1227 and/or other userinterface device to the bus 1212), a communication adapter 1234 forconnecting an information handling system to a data processing network,the Internet, an Intranet, an area network (PAN), etc., and a displayadapter 1236 for connecting the bus 1212 to a display device 1238 and/orprinter 1239. Further, an automated reader/scanner 1241 may be included.Such readers/scanners are commercially available from many sources.

In addition to the system described above, a different aspect of theinvention includes a computer-implemented method for performing theabove method. As an example, this method may be implemented in theparticular environment discussed above.

Such a method may be implemented, for example, by operating a computer,as embodied by a digital data processing apparatus, to execute asequence of machine-readable instructions. These instructions may residein various types of signal-bearing media.

Thus, this aspect of the present invention is directed to a programmedproduct, including signal-bearing media tangibly embodying a program ofmachine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor toperform the above method.

Such a method may be implemented, for example, by operating the CPU 1210to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions. Theseinstructions may reside in various types of signal bearing media.

Thus, this aspect of the present invention is directed to a programmedproduct, including signal-bearing media tangibly embodying a program ofmachine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processorincorporating the CPU 1210 and hardware above, to perform the method ofthe invention.

This signal-bearing media may include, for example, a RAM containedwithin the CPU 1210, as represented by the fast-access storage forexample. Alternatively, the instructions may be contained in anothersignal-bearing media, such as a magnetic data storage diskette 1300 orcompact disc 1302 (FIG. 13), directly or indirectly accessible by theCPU 1210.

Whether contained in the computer server/CPU 1210, or elsewhere, theinstructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storagemedia, such as DASD storage (e.g, a conventional “hard drive” or a RAIDarray), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, orEEPROM), an optical storage device (e.g., CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digitaloptical tape, etc.), paper “punch” cards, or other suitablesignal-bearing media. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention,the machine-readable instructions may include software object code,compiled from a language such as C, C++, etc.

With its unique and novel features, the present invention provides asystem and method of charging a vehicle and a system and method ofmanaging power consumption in a vehicle which are more convenient andefficient than conventional methods and systems.

While the invention has been described in terms of one or moreembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of theappended claims. Specifically, one of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the drawings herein are meant to be illustrative, andthe design of the inventive method and system is not limited to thatdisclosed herein but may be modified within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

Further, Applicant's intent is to encompass the equivalents of all claimelements, and no amendment to any claim the present application shouldbe construed as a disclaimer of any interest in or right to anequivalent of any element or feature of the amended claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for charging a vehicle, comprising: aforward model for modeling vehicle charging data for a plurality ofvehicles; and a charge exchange market which, based on the forwardmodel, facilitates an agreement for transmitting power to a firstvehicle of the plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power grid comprisinga second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.
 2. The system of claim 1,further comprising: a server which stores the forward model and iscommunicatively coupled to the plurality of vehicles via a network, theforward model inputting data for setting parameters internal to theforward model over the network from the plurality vehicles.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the data for setting parameters comprises atleast one of current charge of a vehicle, location of the vehicle,destination of the vehicle, speed of the vehicle, rate of powerconsumption of the vehicle, desired time of arrival of the vehicle,maximum desired wait times of the vehicle, weather conditions, andtraffic conditions.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the serveraccesses data which is stored in an external database, the datacomprising at least one of future expected weather conditions, futureexpected traffic conditions, and future expected locations for chargingvehicles on a standard electric power grid.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the server uses data from the plurality of vehicles and datafrom the external database to parameterize a constrained optimizationwithin the forward model, the optimization determining an optimallocation for the first and second vehicles to congregate for chargingthe first vehicle, and wherein the optimization minimizes a stop timefor the first and second vehicles, minimizes deviation from a plannedroute, and minimizes a probability of running out of charge over allexpected vehicle actions until a future expected charging of the firstvehicle from an electric power grid.
 6. The system of claim 2, furthercomprising: a communication device for communicatively coupling thefirst vehicle to the second vehicle, and communicatively coupling thefirst and second vehicles to the server, wherein the communicationdevice facilitates a negotiation of terms of the agreement between thefirst vehicle and the second vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a power transmitting device for transmitting power from thesecond vehicle to the first vehicle according to the agreement, whereinthe market is communicatively coupled to the power transmitting device,and controls a voltage and capacity of the dynamic power grid via thepower transmitting device.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the powertransmitting device determines whether the dynamic power grid willdeliver charge to the first vehicle in a parallel battery configurationor a series battery configuration.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein thepower transmitting device comprises a multi-tap bus, and the market iscommunicatively coupled to the bus and configures the bus to facilitateseries or parallel coupling between charging batteries in the dynamicpower grid in order to deliver a negotiated voltage and charge capacityfrom the second vehicle to the first vehicle.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the vehicle charging data comprises vehicle power utilizationdata and vehicle charging requirement data.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein the market remotely and wirelessly manages the dynamic powergrid.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle comprises aplurality of second vehicles, and the market manages a purchase of powerby the first vehicle from the plurality of second vehicles, and whereina voltage and power transmission to the first vehicle is increased withthe number of second vehicles in the plurality of second vehicles, and acharging time is decreased with the number of second vehicles in theplurality of second vehicles.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein themarket directs a formation of a flash charge mob of vehicles from theplurality of vehicles, the flash charge mob comprising the first vehicleand the second vehicle, wherein the market receives an input from thevehicles in the flash charge mob, the input including a desired pricefor sale of power, desired price for purchase of power, desired andrequired charging times, and desired and required final charging levels.14. The system of claim 13, wherein the flash charge mob of vehicles islocated at a facility comprising a dedicated charging bus, and thetransmitting of power comprises transmitting power via the dedicatedcharging bus.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicles in theflash charge mob comprise an onboard device for establishing the dynamicpower grid, and the transmitting of power comprises transmitting powervia the onboard device.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof vehicles comprises an onboard computing facility, and the chargeexchange market is formed by the plurality of vehicles by using theonboard computing facilities.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein themarket facilitates the agreement by: transmitting a message from thefirst vehicle to the second vehicle indicating that the charge isrequired by the first vehicle; transmitting a message from the secondvehicle to the first vehicle indicating an amount of power that thesecond vehicle is willing to transmit to the first vehicle, andindicating a duration that the second vehicle is available to transmitthe power; coordinating a negotiation of a monetary rate for thetransmitted power between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; andcoordinating a time and place for transmitting the power from the secondvehicle to the first vehicle.
 18. A method of charging a vehicle,comprising: providing a forward model for modeling vehicle charging datafor a plurality of vehicles; and based on the forward model,facilitating an agreement for transmitting power to a first vehicle ofthe plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power grid comprising a secondvehicle of the plurality of vehicles.
 19. A programmable storage mediumtangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executableby a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of charging avehicle, the method comprising: providing a forward model for modelingvehicle charging data for a plurality of vehicles; and based on theforward model, facilitating an agreement for transmitting power to afirst vehicle of the plurality of vehicles via a dynamic power gridcomprising a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.
 20. A systemfor managing power consumption in a vehicle, comprising: an optimizingunit for optimizing a plurality of parameters to determine a power to beconsumed by the vehicle based on a plurality of power source signaturesfor a plurality of power sources; and an operating mode setting unit forsetting an operating mode for powering the vehicle based on thedetermined power.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the optimizingunit comprises a modeling unit for dynamic modeling of expected powerconsumption for the vehicle, expected charging locations, and theplurality of power source signatures, based on a route planner thatincludes elevation information and a database of charging locations andrefueling stations.
 22. The system of claim 20, further comprising: apower source signature generating unit for generating the plurality ofpower source signatures, the power source signature generating unitcomprising one of a provider of the plurality of power sources, agovernmental body, a third party non-governmental organization.
 23. Thesystem of claim 20, further comprising: a database which is locatedremotely from the vehicle and stores the plurality of power sourcesignatures, wherein the optimizing unit comprises a wirelesscommunication device for wirelessly communicating with the database. 24.The system of claim 20, further comprising: a wireless communicationdevice for wirelessly coupling the vehicle with an other vehicle todetermine if an exchange of power source signatures between the vehicleand the other vehicle would increase a net optimization for the vehicleand the other vehicle, wherein if it is determined that the exchange ofpower source signatures between the vehicle and the other vehicle wouldincrease the net optimization, then the optimizing unit exchanges powersource signatures between the vehicle and the other vehicle.
 25. Thesystem of claim 20, wherein the plurality of parameters comprises anenvironmental impact of a power source, a range of the vehicle, a speedof the vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, and a life of a batteryin the vehicle.